Abstract: Manifold compositions consist of all actual and potential variants of a work that contains elements of indeterminacy and is generated by a computer reading the same data for each variant. The relationship between manifolds and classes of composition is discussed and a tool (DISSCO) unifying composition and sound synthesis is presented along with some of its components such as stochastic distributions and sieves. Deterministic and random processes facilitate by DISSCO are shown to correspond to an implicit worldview and the role of the computer is described as that of a collaborator complementing the skill of the human composer. It is also shown how musical compositions can be described as complex dynamic systems and two related projects are proposed: a "sound fountain", an ever changing stream of sounds, and a "brewing" piece continuously re-arranging its parts in search of an nonexistent optimal solution.


Brief Biography of the Speaker:
Sever Tipei is a composer and theorist whose main fields are Computer Music and Music Formalization. He teaches at the University of Illinois and manages the Computer Music Project of the Experimental Music Studios. Most of his compositions were produced with software he designed and implemented at Argonne National Laboratory and at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications on high performance computers and in the CAVE virtual environment.
Tipei's papers have appeared in the Computer Music Journal, Leonardo, and in proceedings of various International Computer Music Conferences. His music is recorded on Centaur, Veriatza, and University of Illinois albums. As a pianist, he has performed in the United States, Korea, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Romania, and recorded for the ORION label.